Hold point (point d’arrêt): what the project manager needs to know about this milestone to avoid letting a contractor procure without formal approval — and retroactively blocking committed orders
“Hold point to be held on 20/05” appears in the detailed-design (EXE) schedule. On the day, everyone’s in the meeting. Nobody formalizes the approval. The contractor has already ordered the movable partitions. Two weeks later, the client changes their mind. Who’s liable for orders placed without formal approval of the hold point?
Type | Phase | Actors | Impact | Stakes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Procedural | Execution | MOE (project manager), Client (MO), Architect, Contractor, Inspection body (BC) | High | contractual | EXE design schedule, design-tracking section, CR milestones |
1. Operational definition + common mistake
A point d’arrêt (“hold point”) is a contractual milestone in the course of detailed-design studies or works that requires the contractor to stop and wait for formal approval (from the MOE, the client, or the inspection body) before moving to the next step. Without this approval, the contractor has no right to continue — neither to order nor to build. A hold point differs from a checkpoint (where the MOE can intervene but the contractor isn’t required to wait) and from a monitoring point (a simple check with no blocking effect).
In this CR, the hold points concern the EXE studies and interfaces with the client: “Security hold point: DONE on 22/05,” “New sample hold point: 18/06 or 25/06,” “Suspended-ceiling / device coordination hold point: 18/06 or 25/06.” The list is tracked in dedicated meetings.
Many assume “hold point” is just a scheduling term equivalent to a milestone — in reality, it’s an enforceable contractual obligation: if the contractor bypasses a hold point and places orders with no formal approval, the MOE and the client can dispute the expenses and refuse changes after the fact.
2. Where it appears
In a site meeting report — in the EXE design-tracking section, the milestone schedule, or a section titled “Tracking of EXE design hold points with client interface.” In this CR:
“Tracking of EXE design hold points with client interface: Security hold point: DONE on 22/05 — ‘New’ sample hold point: 18/06 or 25/06 — Suspended-ceiling / device coordination hold point: 18/06 or 25/06”
“Hold point to be held on 20/05 — Realign procurement (especially CLA) based on the sample-approval deadline of 12/05”
3. How to read this entry in the CR
If you read “Hold point [subject]: [date]” → this is a milestone to confirm in your schedule. Check that the date is realistic given the progress of the studies and the inspection body’s sign-off timelines.
If you read “Hold point: DONE” → approval has been secured. Check that it was actually formalized in writing and not just verbally noted in the meeting.
If a contractor has placed an order before an unresolved hold point → alert the client immediately and document the situation.
4. Who does what
Actor | What a hold point means to them | Concrete action |
|---|---|---|
MOE | An approval milestone to prepare and formalize | Prepare the necessary documents; formalize approval or rejection in writing |
Client (MO) | The decision-maker for approval | Be available for hold-point meetings; formalize their decision in writing |
Contractor | An obligation to stop and wait | Don’t order or build before the formal release; flag it if the date isn’t met |
Inspection body (BC) | If the hold point falls within their scope | Formalize their opinion before the scheduled date so as not to block the schedule |
5. What this changes in practice
A project manager who rigorously manages hold points can control the procurement critical path and prevent irreversible orders being placed before choices are approved. A project manager who lets hold points go by with no written formalization loses the ability to block non-compliant procurement.
Failure scenario: the “layout” hold point of 18/06 isn’t held. The general contractor orders the furniture so as not to delay the schedule. The client changes their mind at the meeting of 25/06. The non-compliant furniture is already ordered for €180,000. The contractor claims the extra cost.
6. Example of real wording
“Tracking of EXE design hold points with client interface: Security hold point: DONE on 22/05”
“Hold point to be held on 20/05 — Realign procurement based on the sample-approval deadline of 12/05”
7. Points of caution
A hold point “held in the meeting” with no written document isn’t actually released: require formalization before authorizing the next step.
A hold point not held on the scheduled date must be flagged immediately to the contractor and the client.
The distinction between a hold point / checkpoint / monitoring point should be clarified in the contract.
A hold point on the procurement critical path is even more sensitive than a hold point on the works themselves.
Don’t confuse a “detailed-design hold point” with a “site shutdown”: the former is an approval milestone, the latter is a suspension of works.
8. Not to be confused with
Related term | Key difference |
|---|---|
Checkpoint | The MOE can intervene but the contractor isn’t required to wait |
Monitoring point | A simple check with no blocking effect on progress |
Sign-off (visa) | Review of a document — a hold point can involve a sign-off but also covers procurement decisions |
Milestone | A generic scheduling term — a hold point is a milestone with a contractual obligation not to proceed |
9. Related terms
Same phase (EXE studies): Sign-off (visa) · GED · First-of-series · FTM · Procurement
Same actor (MOE/client): Design schedule · Contract option · Additional works
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